Midcoast Senior College, a nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing educational opportunities to lifelong senior learners, has announced a January and February lineup of events that range in topics from Maine’s future economy and historical past; instruction on photography, writing, fly-tying and sign language; and lectures on medicine, history, arts and literature. Most events are free of charge.

For the first time in three years, since the pandemic started, Midcoast Senior College’s annual free Winter Wisdom Lecture Series on Wednesday afternoons at noon in January and February will be held in person. The free seven-week series opens with a special opera talk and performance at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Brunswick. Following that, the Transforming Maine Economy talk launches another themed series of lectures. Other Maine-themed talks include Winter Skies, Bygone Ballads, Malaga Island, Ice Harvesting and Longfellow Days, all at Curtis Memorial Library in Brunswick.

New this winter, the college has curated a free series of lectures that focus on Maine’s transforming economy. Most of these free lectures are webinars that are conveniently scheduled for 6 p.m. Leading industry experts from a range of disciplines will provide insight into areas of growth that are changing our state’s economy and demographics.

Workshops, guided discussions, and recorded lectures from some of the college’s faculty members are featured in another terrific lineup designed to appeal to our area seniors. The Winter Intersession, sponsored by Thornton Oaks Retirement Community, bridges the time between our longer fall and spring courses and spans four weeks in January. Fly-tying, memoir writing, and meditation, iPhone photography, and American Sign Language are in-person workshops; book talk and American cuisine history are free discussion activities, and new recorded lectures on the Ether Controversy, Italy’s North-South Divide, Seven Great Russian Poets, and Future Cities in Architecture and Literature will be made available for free viewing at any time.

For more detailed information, please visit the college’s website at midcoastseniorcollege.org or call Midcoast Senior College at (207) 725-4900 or email mscoffice@midcoastseniorcollege.org. Our administrative office is open Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 18 Middle St., Suite 2 in Brunswick.